Club Magazine
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Club Magazine Minis do go into the forest and Minis are competitive. This little devil finished 7th overall in a 29 stong field of mussle cars, offroaders and WRC cars. Mini Car Club of Auckland Inc. Club Executive President: Warwick Robinson (09) 479-1825 Vice President: Micheal Wigmore (09) 483-8336 Club Captain: Anita Cowan (09) 634-3272 /027 4415 475 Treasurer/Memberships: Les Gubb (09) 298-5201 Secretary: Chris McMurray (09) 279-3052 Committee: George Brown (09) 535-8228 Ian Ferguson (09) 446-0663 Chris Manning (09) 833-9340 Lee Norman Kevin Patrick Susan Russell (09) 817-5816 Clubrooms Address correspondence to: Mini Car Club of Auckland Northern Sports Car Club Inc Mt Richmond Domain P.O. Box 72-970 Great South Road Papakura Otahuhu Auckland Ph. 276-0880 New Zealand Contacting the Editor: Frits Schouten. E-Mail: [email protected]. Web: http://minicarclubauckland.isfun.net [ (09) 235-7859, F (09) 375-8999 ex5261, (021) 963-894. Snail-Mail: 7 Carbine lane, Waiuku 1852 The Deadline for the next issue is: 15 November 2002 This magazine is the official Newsletter of the Mini Car Club of Auckland. The opinions expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the Mini Car Club of Auckland, the Executive or Editor. Printing and copying courtesy PRESIDENTS REPORT From the AGM we now have 5 new members on the Committee – some new blood with hopefully with some new and exciting ideas and direction for the club. Do not forget the Mini Nationals at Labour weekend 25th, 26th and 27th October run by the Kapiti Coast Minis. On our October Club night we will discuss all issues dealing with the event and entry forms etc., are available from Club Committee. Is there a registered accountant in our club or close to a club member? We need someone to audit our financial results. All for now. El Presidento Warwick Robinson Annual Go-Kart Challenge The Mini Car Club of Auckland Annual Go-Kart challenge was held at Extreme Indoor Karts in East Tamaki on Sunday 22 September. In previous years this event has always been well attended, so it was a little disappointing to have only three club members attend this event. Anita Cowan, Nathan Murrell and Chris Roper decided to have a good time anyway and indeed they did! With only three drivers we had a full 30 minutes track time together with a few other drivers. There were thrills, spills and a lot of passing, so it was a bit difficult to work out who the winner was, but prizes were awarded as follows: 1st equal (Team McMillan MINI cap): Chris Roper/Nathan Murrell 2nd (MINI keyring): Anita Cowan Really we were all winners just for showing up!! MEDIA RELEASE: PETER BROCK ENTERS DUNLOP TARGA. Nine times Bathurst winner and Australiasia’s best known race driver, Peter Brock, has entered this year’s October Dunlop Targa Rally. Along with co-driver Jenny Cole, the 57-year Motorsport legend will drive the new Holden Monaro CV8. Brock’s New Zealand appearance will be just two weeks after he comes out of retirement to drive his own Holden Commodore on the famous Mt Panorama circuit with co-driver, New Zealander Craig Baird. Brock’s appearance is a guarantee to swell the crowds especially with Ford and Holden being well represented. The prospect of a head to head Holden/Ford battle adds spice to New Zealand’s biggest tarmac rally. The Ford challenge will be spearheaded by California-based New Zealander Steve Millen in a Ford Motor Company of NZ backed Ford Falcon XR6 used by Millen last year in Targa. Taupo’s Rick Cooper will driving his 2000 Ford Mustang Cobra R V8 with a further 50 Fords being entered including a 1959 Ford Thunderbird, several Anglia, Escorts, Cortinas, Mustangs, Falcons and a MK3 Zephyr which will be driven “like it’s stolen!” . The Ford Motor Company of New Zealand has also announced it is now the Official vehicle suppliers to the Dunlop Targa, adding their support to the event. Keeping a watching brief will be Robbie Francevic in the Talleys 1968 Pontiac GTO, the car may be from a different era from Brock’s and Millen’s but that won’t daunt Robbie! Seven powerful Australian Porsches have crossed the Tasman for the event. Current Nations Cup competitor Tony Quinn, who finished second to Jim Richards in both the 2001 Targa Tasmania and the recent Sandown 500 endurance race, will be a force to watch. With the huge 227-car field, the fierce New Zealand/Australia sporting rivalry should be the highlight of the event. AUCKLAND TO WELLINGTON IN SIX DAYS This year the event covers the whole of the North Island in the six days of compe- tition. The cars will start from Turners Auctions SuperSite in Auckland’s Penrose on Monday 28th October finishing on Queens Wharf in Wellington on Saturday 2nd November. They will have covered over 2000 kms of touring plus 608 kms of Special Stages. The huge field means that the cars will start only 30 seconds apart on the Special Closed Stages, which will provide thrilling viewing for spectators. Maps, viewing areas and a full programme of the event will be available in the November issue of New Zealand Classic Car magazine. Woody spotted in Taupo GYMKHANA FOLLOW THE LEADER RUN -28 JULY 2002 At about 5.30PM on Saturday 20 July, Catherine and I received a phone call from Chris telling us that the venue for the Gymkhana had fallen through. We discussed the pros and cons and decided that I would plot a follow the leader run somewhere in the Waitakeres ending at a café for lunch. After talking to Chris, I rang Fritz to let him know what was going on. Fritz said he would make the alterations to the newsletter and get it in the post, so everybody would receive it before Sunday 28 July 2002. On Sunday 21 July 2002, Catherine and I looked at the map and pencilled a course that looked Interesting. The only problem was that neither of us knows the Waitakeres that well, so we got in the car and spent the next four hours driving. On Sunday 28 July 2002, Catherine and I went to Waikaraka Park to be met by four Minis looking for some fun. We stood around and talked for a while hoping some more people would turn up, four Minis following a Toyota isn’t much of a spectacle is it?? After waiting for half an hour we decided nobody else would be coming so we hit the road. So where did we go then? We left Waikaraka Park and went through Onehunga, up to Hillsborough, Lynfield, Blockhouse Bay and Green—Bay, then down the back of Titirangi into Wood say, French Bay, South Titirangi and Laingholm areas. This part of the Waitakeres is full of very narrow roads that go up and down hills through the bush. There are six straight bits of road connected by two thousand corners including twenty hairpins!! From here we went to Woodlands Park, Glen Eden South, Oratia, Henderson Valley and on to Swanson. This section is a bit more open, but still requires good concentration levels. At Swanson we headed for De Vines for lunch. In this lovely location we enjoyed good food and good conversation for a couple of hours. After lunch, Paul Leahy and Chris McMurray went in their own direction while Fritz, Dave and Arleen, Catherine and myself went up to Huapai to see Murray Lockie. From Murray’s Dave and Arleen went their own way while the two cars from Counties played cat and mouse all the way back to our farm for coffee before Fritz went home to Waiuku. It turned out to be a very enjoyable day that everybody enjoyed. Some of the roads were so tight and twisty they resembled a Gymkhana, so even though the event was cancelled, we had our own version. GARY ASHTON CLUB POINTS SYSTEM No Name F/Name C/Nite Events Rallys Shows Club Visits Total 12 Robinson Warwick 1 1 27 Maulder Tony 1 1 37 Leahy Paul 1 2 3 59 Gubb Les 1 2 3 97 McMurray Chris 1 1 106 McMurray Steve 1 1 118 Cowan Anita 1 1 121 Schouten Frits 1 1 2 2 6 127 Norman Lee 1 1 143 Venczellac Frank 1 1 144 Ritchie Allen 1 1 146 Taylor Kevin 1 2 3 153 Wigmore Michael 1 2 3 180 Parker Tom 1 2 3 189 Crispe Graham 1 1 197 McCulloch Scott 1 1 203 Russell Susan 1 1 219 Murrell Nathan 1 1 236 Ashton Gary 1 1 236 Piper Catherine 1 1 243 Marks Tony 1 1 259 Turner John 1 1 261 Patrick Kevin 1 1 274 Amies Peter 1 1 298 Biffen Lynda 2 2 306 Banks Jim 1 1 x Gower Damon 1 1 x Hargraves Keith 1 1 x Mahon Darren 1 1 Rodney 1 1 If your name has been missed out, please let us know. Not everyone signed the attendance register. Points will accunulate through to 30th July, 2003. HOT GOSSIP!! With Minnie Cooper · Our editor Frits Schouten and his race car recently had a very close encounter with a tree during a rally! Well Frits, if it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing well and we heard you did very well at beating that poor Mini up! · Michael Wigmore however seems to be having much better luck keeping out of trouble in his new Sub-60 courier van - a little bird told me that he managed to damage every vehicle he drove at his old place of work, so we’ll be keeping our fingers crossed that his good luck in this one continues.